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Boston Barrister

Boston Barrister

By: Boston Barrister
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Welcome to the Boston Barrister. My name is Kevin Seaver located in Boston, Massachusetts. We specialize in family law, including divorce, alimony, child custody, child support, modification, contempts, pre-nups, post-nups, you name it, we do it in family court. The other thing we do is we fight false allegations by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families against parents in DCF out of parents’ life once and for all so they can have the benefits of freedom and also richly deserved happiness. Parenting & Families Relationships
Episodes
  • Appealing a DCF Supported Finding in Massachusetts (Step-by-Step Guide) – EP 22

    Appealing a DCF Supported Finding in Massachusetts (Step-by-Step Guide) – EP 22
    Mar 25 2026
    Massachusetts DCF fair hearing process is critical if you are appealing a supported 51A or 51B decision for child abuse or neglect. In this episode of The Boston Barrister, I explain how to file a DCF fair hearing appeal within the 30-day deadline, how to request your 51A report and 51B investigation, and how to prepare properly so the hearing is truly fair. I also discuss due process rights, subpoenas, grievances, expert witnesses, and how to submit findings of fact and rulings of law after your hearing. Preparation is everything when challenging a supported DCF decision. Here is what you’ll learn: How to appeal a supported DCF decision within 30 daysThe difference between a 51A report and a 51B investigationHow to request your full DCF file and evidenceWhat due process means in a DCF fair hearingWhy preparation, witnesses, and expert testimony matterHow to submit findings of fact and rulings of law after the hearing CONNECT WITH US ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Website: https://kevinseaverlaw.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawOfficeOfKevinPatrickSeaver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawofficeofkevinseaver/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-law-office-of-kevin-patrick-seaver/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvt_ckAv7fDcHw1Rb4sVV0Q/featured TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@attorneykevinseaver DisclaimerThis video is not intended as legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please consult a lawyer regarding your legal issue. Keywords:Massachusetts DCF fair hearingDCF 51A reportDCF 51B investigationsupported finding child abusesupported finding neglect Massachusettsappeal DCF decisionDCF hearing unit Bostondue process rights Massachusettssubpoena DCF recordsDCF grievance processDCF appeal 30 day deadlineMassachusetts child abuse appeal Since 1991 Boston attorney Kevin Patrick Seaver has specialized in family law, including divorce and fighting false child abuse allegations and getting DCF cases closed once and for all. Giving parents freedom and happiness. 617-263-2633kevin@kevinseaver.comKevinseaverlaw.com Transcript:Welcome to the Boston Barista. My name is Kevin Patrick Seaver. I am located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today’s gonna be a podcast about Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, Fair Hearings. And one of the nice things I like about the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is where they make up these titles like Fair Hearings. Let’s be clear about this. Right out of the box, let’s come after DCF. These Fair Hearings are only fair if you make the hearing fair. And how do you do that? You gotta level the playing field and know what you’re doing and understand how to do it. Because if not, you will not be successful. So there’s pitfalls and things you need to watch out for. I begin with telling you that most Fair Hearings are done now by what’s called a team meeting. It’s the same thing as the fancy-spancy word for zone. It’s over the computer. You get a link, you go on the link on the appropriate time, date, and that’s what happens. Now, years ago, they used to do Fair Hearings in person. But I think due to technology, which I welcome, and we all should, we made life a lot easier. And we do them by zone. Because people then don’t have to travel out to the western part of the state, or Cape Cod, or down to the islands, up north all the way up to the New Hampshire border. And it just appears to make life a lot easier for all concerned. I wanna back up a little bit. When and how do you appeal to a DCF, they’re hearing. Well, first of all, if you have a matter in which a decision was supported against you, because it starts off with a 51A, it’s either screened in or screened out. If it’s screened out, it’ll go any further. If it’s screened in, it goes further. You assign a 51B investigator, or what DCF likes to call a response worker. Now, that response worker either has five days in an emergency situation, or 15 days in a non-emergency. But often I see these go beyond their time standards. Or the five day turns into a 15, and then they continue it from there also sometimes. But the end of the rainbow, when the 51B investigation by the response worker is completed, they can come up with various decisions. The first, which we all hope for, is that the decision was not supported. Everybody goes home happy. Can you hear me, DCF? Everybody goes home happy. That’s worth repeating a third time. Everybody goes home happy. The second is where the decision is, boo, supported. Give me another boo, and a third boo, supported. And that can happen. Now, here’s the tricky part. That can be supported for a decision of child abuse or neglect, or it can be a substantiated concern, regardless of whether it’s a substantiated concern or just an outright child abuse or neglect allegation supported. You have 30, 30, 30 days to appeal this to the DCF engineering ...
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    22 mins
  • Karen Read Trial Update: Civil Case, Fifth Amendment, and What Happens Next – EP 21

    Karen Read Trial Update: Civil Case, Fifth Amendment, and What Happens Next – EP 21
    Mar 25 2026
    Karen Read trial update continues to shape Massachusetts legal headlines. In this episode of The Boston Barrister, I discuss the aftermath of Karen Read’s hung jury and later acquittal on major charges, the future civil litigation where she may be required to testify, and the broader legal impact of the case. I also examine the roles of former Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey, former State Police officer Michael Proctor, and blogger Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney, along with the unexpected involvement and withdrawal of attorney Alan Jackson in the separate Nick Reiner case. This story is far from over, and the next chapter may unfold in civil court. Here is what you’ll learn: What happens after a hung jury and later acquittalWhy a civil trial is different from a criminal trialHow the Fifth Amendment applies in criminal court but not the same way in civil casesThe impact of investigator conduct on high-profile prosecutionsWhat could happen next in the Karen Read legal saga CONNECT WITH US ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Website: https://kevinseaverlaw.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawOfficeOfKevinPatrickSeaver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawofficeofkevinseaver/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-law-office-of-kevin-patrick-seaver/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvt_ckAv7fDcHw1Rb4sVV0Q/featured TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@attorneykevinseaver DisclaimerThis video is not intended as legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please consult a lawyer regarding your legal issue. Keywords: Karen Read trial updateKaren Read civil trialKaren Read acquittalNorfolk County District AttorneyMichael Morrissey BostonMichael Proctor Massachusetts State PoliceAidan Kearney TurtleboyAlan Jackson attorneyNick Reiner caseFifth Amendment rightscriminal vs civil trial differencesMassachusetts high profile trials Since 1991 Boston attorney Kevin Patrick Seaver has specialized in family law, including divorce and fighting false child abuse allegations and getting DCF cases closed once and for all. Giving parents freedom and happiness. 617-263-2633kevin@kevinseaver.comKevinseaverlaw.com Transcript:Welcome to the Boston Barrister. My name is Kevin Patrick Seaver. I’m located in Boston, Massachusetts.Today on the Boston Barista, we’re gonna talk about Karen Reed. This is a story that’s not gonna go away anytime soon for a whole bunch of reasons that we’re gonna discuss today on the Barista Barista. Karen Reed, of course, unless you were under a rock for the last couple of years, was a hung jury the first time she was tried. And the second time she was exonerated of all the major charges. Everybody has their theory on the case. What has certainly come out of all this is many different things, including the characters involved as well as possible Hollywood deals. In December, Rob Reiner and his wife were killed, allegedly, by their son, Nick Reiner. Everybody’s presumed innocent to have proven guilty. Alan Jackson, who was one of the attorneys representing Karen Reed, stepped forward and was retained to represent Nick Reiner in December of 2025. At the arraignment on January 7th, 2026, poof, Alan Jackson was no longer representing Nick Reiner. He didn’t even speak to the press who during the Karen Reed trial, he couldn’t say enough to them. So ironically, he left Snugglepuss stage left off stage, not to be heard from about Nick Reiner’s case. Now in fairness to Alan Jackson, Nick Reiner has what’s called an attorney client privilege. That privilege is held by the client, Nick Reiner, not by Alan Jackson. So I’m sure Alan Jackson would like to have said some things, but because it’s important right, the attorney client privilege, he was not and would not do such. Next in January, I call on the Michaels, Michael Morrissey, who was the district attorney and Michael Proctor, the lead investigator to offer the state police. Michael Morrissey was a state representative elected in 1976 by the good people of the city of Quincy, or city of presidents, Quincy, Massachusetts. In 1993, Michael Morrissey was elected from the fine city of Quincy, the city of presidents to be the state senator for Quincy and other areas in that region. In 2011,(…) Michael Morrissey was elected as the district attorney for Norfolk County. He in January of 2026 announced he was not running for reelection as district attorney or Norfolk County. Now many hold an opinion. Some good, some bad, some indifferent as to Michael Morrissey. All I can say is that Michael Morrissey as a state rep was on the Boston Harbor Commission, which Quincy neighbors in borderline Boston. And being on the Boston Harbor Commission, he helped clean up Boston Harbor. He did so by proposing and supporting legislation, which today Boston Harbor is in really good shape.
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    7 mins
  • The Nancy Guthrie Case A Missing Person Investigation That Gripped America – EP20

    The Nancy Guthrie Case A Missing Person Investigation That Gripped America – EP20
    Mar 24 2026
    In this episode of The Boston Barrister, Massachusetts attorney Kevin Patrick Seaver discusses two shocking missing person cases that have captured national attention. The first story focuses on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of NBC Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who was reportedly abducted from her home in Catalina, Arizona. Surveillance footage, ransom notes, forensic evidence, and a large-scale investigation involving local law enforcement, the FBI, and federal agencies have left investigators searching for answers in a case that has gripped the nation. The second story examines the extraordinary case of Michelle Lindley Smith, a woman who disappeared in 2001 and was discovered more than 24 years later living under a different identity. Her reappearance raises difficult questions for families left behind after decades of uncertainty and emotional trauma. These two cases highlight the complex and heartbreaking realities surrounding missing persons investigations in the United States. This episode covers: The timeline of the Nancy Guthrie disappearance in ArizonaKey evidence investigators have uncovered in the caseHow ransom notes and surveillance footage shaped the investigationThe remarkable discovery of Michelle Smith after 24 yearsThe emotional impact long-term disappearances have on families Missing Persons Resources If you have information about a missing person or need assistance, contact: National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) 855-626-7600 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 800-843-5678 CONNECT WITH US ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Website: https://kevinseaverlaw.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LawOfficeOfKevinPatrickSeaver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawofficeofkevinseaver/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-law-office-of-kevin-patrick-seaver/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvt_ckAv7fDcHw1Rb4sVV0Q/featured TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@attorneykevinseaver DisclaimerThis video is not intended as legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please consult a lawyer regarding your legal issue. Keywords:Nancy Guthrie missing personNancy Guthrie casemissing person investigationArizona kidnapping caseSavannah Guthrie mother missingmissing persons investigation United StatesMichelle Smith missing 24 yearslong term missing person casesFBI missing person investigationnational missing persons resources Since 1991 Boston attorney Kevin Patrick Seaver has specialized in family law, including divorce and fighting false child abuse allegations and getting DCF cases closed once and for all. Giving parents freedom and happiness. 617-263-2633kevin@kevinseaver.comKevinseaverlaw.com Transcript:Welcome to the Boston Barrister. My name is Kevin Patrick Seaver. I’m located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today’s episode is going to be the tale of two stories. These two stories fall into the I can’t make it up category, but I wish I could so I could have a happy ending on one of them at least. The quiet night of February in Catalina, Arizona in the foothills, an 84-year-old woman, 2.47 a.m. and 2.48 a.m. was taken from her home. The world did not know then what we know now, some one month later, when this 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was to become one of the most gripping stories America’s ever seen as to her, the 84-year-old mother, whereabouts. Last known hours of the 84-year-old mom, Nancy Guthrie, is now being put together with a timeline and the whereabouts of is still unknown. On the evening of Saturday, January 31st, Nancy Guthrie took an Uber to her daughter’s home, Anna. She was to have dinner with her family. At 9.48 p.m. on the evening of January 31st, 2026, Nancy Guthrie was driven by her son-in-law, Maso, who was kind enough to drop Nancy Guthrie back at her home. Nancy Guthrie went into her home through her garage door at approximately 9.50 p.m. This was the last time Nancy Guthrie, age 84, was seen alive. Less than four hours later, at 1.47 a.m., a masked and gloved figure appeared at Nancy’s front door. This individual was tampering with the doorbell camera on Nancy’s home. The individual was trying to knock the doorbell camera, ring camera, loose. When he couldn’t knock the doorbell off and therefore damaging it, he used a nearby plant to try to cover it with foliage from the plant. At 2.12 a.m., motion was detected. At 2.28 a.m., Nancy’s pacemaker app disconnected from her phone. It was gone. The following morning, Nancy failed to appear at a scheduled live stream of a church service. A concerned churchgoer called her family. Others arrived at Nancy’s home at approximately 11.56 a.m. The family found no sign of Nancy. They, however, found everything else her car, her phone, her necessary medications. 12.03, that same day, the family called 911. Companies from the Pima County ...
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    15 mins
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